Why Are Mysterious Camera-Cars Circling Rockford Parking Lots?

A mysterious car was spotted driving up and down every row in the parking lot of Meijer recently, and now many people in the Rockford community are wondering why.

Parking Lot Shenanigans in Rockford

If you've ever found yourself sitting in a parking lot people-watching while waiting for someone to finish shopping, you know you can see some pretty interesting things.

READ MORE: Is Dos Reales in Rockford Permanently Closed?

I've seen wacky outfits and major struggles loading huge items into a small vehicle, but I can honestly say I've never seen anything quite like this mysterious blue car that has people in Rockford talking all over social media.

According to a recent post in the What's Happening in Rockford, IL Facebook group, a plain blue sedan was spotted slowly driving up and down every single parking row at a Stateline-area Meijer location.

At first glance, it doesn't look that unusual... until you notice the cameras mounted on the roof and sides of the vehicle.

Chis Capes via Facebook

What in the world was going on there?

Why Are There Camera-Equipped Cars in Rockford?

When it comes to camera-equipped cars driving around Rockford parking lots, most people automatically assume the vehicle is collecting data for Google Street View... but I don't think that's what was happening here.

First off, Google cars are usually clearly marked.

Sean Gallup, Getty Images

Secondly, if it the car was collecting mapping data, does it really need to drive up and down rows of parked cars?

As I started reading through the post's comments, things quickly took an interesting turn.

Several people who've seen vehicles like these before claim the car is being used by a repo company.